EFL 2019: Upper Ferntree Gully to field new-look side in Eastern Football League
Upper Ferntree Gully will field a more youthful outfit in 2019 after farewelling three of its best players in the off-season.
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Upper Ferntree Gully will field a more youthful outfit in 2019 after farewelling three of its best players in the off-season.
Star pair Mike Smith and Tim Riseley are the headline departures from Kings Park, joining South Belgrave.
Upper Gully coach Joel Perry also isn’t expecting to see much of emerging midfielder Tom Meagher after the young gun secured a deal with VFL club Coburg.
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Meagher was mentioned among Upper Gully’s best players in 15 games last year, while Smith and Riseley have enjoyed decorated careers in the Eastern Football League.
Riseley was a dual premiership player at the Kings and won the Paul Edie Medal as the Division 3 best and fairest in 2015.
“Well done to them I suppose for picking them up,” Perry said of Smith and Riseley’s defection to South Belgrave.
“It was a little bit disappointing we lost some of those guys, particularly because we lost the preliminary final last year and I was hoping most of them would be spurred on by that loss and how far we went.
“They’ve been really good players in the Eastern footy league for a long time. It’s going to be a challenge (to replace them).”
Utility Daniel Beyer has taken on an assistant coaching role at West Gippsland club Dalyston, taking Corey and Luke Wakefield, Jake Saltum and Darcy Wilson with him.
Forward Ryan Phillips is among the recruits after transferring from Vermont, where he has been starved of senior opportunities.
Ryan Einsporn (Rowville), Jedd O’Sullivan (Emerald), Aden Quirk (Emerald), Hayden Boyce (Waverley Blues) and Shaun Lovell (Mazenod) are among the other young players to join a new-look Kings side.
Phillips, Einsporn, O’Sullivan and Lovell each spent time at Eastern Ranges.
“I think we’ve just been a bit lucky being able to get some guys who we know will play seniors for us,” Perry said.
“We can offer these guys a senior game, which is kind of what they want.”
Upper Gully has been on an upward trajectory in recent years, going undefeated in 2016 to win the Division 3 premiership before logging a 9-9 record the following season.
The Kings finished top two in 2018 but were knocked out of finals in straight sets.
Perry said “if we can sneak into the five that would be great”.
“Losing the top end, particularly Smith and Riseley, will be a loss. I just want to play an exciting brand of footy, I don’t want to be boring but it’s just really hard to tell with some of these guys,” he said.
“Some of their actual traits and skill level is awesome but they haven’t really played a lot of senior footy. It’s really hard to tell how they’re going to go against men and particularly against the good teams.
“I’m sure we’ll have some really good games and then we’ll have some where the effort and the attitude isn’t as good. As long as we stick together I’m confident we can be all right.”
Perry has committed to again serve as playing coach.
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